


How It All Began

by PeroxidePirate



Category: Provost's Dog - Pierce, Tortall - Pierce
Genre: Femslash, Other, Provost's Dog, Threesome - F/F/M, friendship/romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-02
Updated: 2009-12-02
Packaged: 2017-10-04 02:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeroxidePirate/pseuds/PeroxidePirate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two women, one man, and they all seem pretty happy together. How does that work? Beka wants to know, Aniki tells her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How It All Began

You want to know how it all began? Have a seat, then. Might as well hear it from me.

You know Kora and I were friends first? We were about your age, both runaways in Scanra City -- I from my mother's house, she from her husband. I used to tell people we were like sisters, but it always felt a lie.

We'd been rooming together for two years when we met Rosto. I knew right away Kora fancied him -- you could say she has a thing for blonds. But the weird thing is, I fancied him, too, though I'm mighty selective with who I fall for. Our Rosto, though...

Over that spring, we made friends with Rosto. And though he sometimes made sheep's eyes at Kora, he spent most of his nights with me.

No, not like that! Not then. I mean, we were both thieves and rushers, and sometimes we worked together.

One night toward summer, we were making the rounds of our neighborhood, and Rosto wanted to stop by his place. There were coves waiting within his rooms, magic protections and all -- five rushers and their chief, a fellow called The Giant.

If Rosto had been alone that night they would have killed him, fast as he is. Between the two of us, we fought them off -- mayhap I'll tell you about that, one day. Suffice to say we sent two rushers and The Giant himself to the Black God's realm, and left the others wishing they'd never set eyes on us.

But Rosto's rooms were trashed, and Rosto and I weren't much better. So we made our way to the flat I shared with Kora, to tend our wounds.

She was out when we arrived, called to the aid of a looby with a broken arm, as it turned out. So we did our best to help each other clean up. We weren't seriously damaged, either of us, but we had quite the collection of cuts and bruises.

I got out the salves Kora made me, Goddess bless her, and we started dabbing them on the worst places. It was coming on summer, like I said, and we hadn't been counting on trouble, so we didn't have so much as a leather jerkin between us. Rosto's shirt was in tatters, his torso bleeding from half a dozen shallow gashes -- those coves had fought with knives, and you know that's a nasty business. I was so worried about his cuts, rubbing salve into one that went from his left shoulder down nearly to his right hip, that I scarce noticed my own.

Well, Rosto did. "Aniki, you're hurt," he said. I looked down to see that the left side of my own shirt was soaked in blood.

"I'm fine," I said.

"You're not," he answered. "And if you bleed to death, Kora will never forgive me. Take your shirt off."

I rolled my eyes at him -- figures, he was helping me so he could stay on her good side -- but, of course, I did as he asked.

And the cut, it turns out, was right along the outside of my breast. Top to bottom, so my breastband fell away as soon as the shirt was out of the way, and I was standing there topless with Rosto's knowing eyes on me all the while.

There were so many things mingling in his gaze -- he was worried because the cut looked so bad, conflicted for some reason I didn't know... and filled with desire. He licked his lip.

I turned away. "I should clean this up," I said.

"Wait." His hand on my arm connected with a bruise I didn't know was there, and I winced. It hurt to move away, so I let him turn me back to face him again. He held up the cloth soaked in cleansing salve. "It's only fair," he said softly. And he brought the rag up, and cleaned all of the blood from my skin.

That cut, like all of his, looked worse than it was. It stung a little when he rubbed salve in it, but by the time the rest of me was cleaned up, it wasn't pain I was feeling. Not at all.

He could have stopped then -- and I could have made him -- but his fingers kept moving over my skin. My stomach, my ribs, my cut breast, and then the one that wasn't cut.

And the only thing to do was kiss him.

We were both of us shirtless, still bleeding a little here and there, standing in the middle of my front room kissing like the world was about to end. And that's when Kora walked in.

She dropped her basket with a clatter, precious glass bottles clanking in spite of the rags wrapped round them, and we both turned to look at her. I saw shock and pain written in her eyes... and guilt in Rosto's.

"Kora--" I said.

She interrupted. "Didn't it mean anything?" she asked, staring right at Rosto. "Last night--"

I blinked. _She hadn't come home last night._  I assumed she was working -- she was apprenticed with an herb woman who often worked at night -- and I'd been gone before she came in.

"It meant the world, lass," Rosto was saying. But his hands were still on my waist. "It's just--"

"Get out." I pushed him away, and crossed the room in two strides to grip Kora's shoulders. "Kora, love, I didn't know. Please, don't lets have this jinglenob come between us. I need you. He's just a cove. Let him go."

She slapped me across the face, which would have hurt, though no more than I deserved. But I had a bruise on my cheekbone, too, and the slap was enough that I groaned and doubled up in pain. Bending over sudden like that made the cut on my breast start to bleed again, which I noticed right away this time because the blood was flowing onto my neck and it tickled. I gasped again, and dropped into a sitting position, thoroughly disgusted with myself. It had, to that point, been the second-worst night of my life.

I closed my eyes, and heard footsteps, and Rosto's voice starting to apologize again.

More footsteps, then another slap, and a surprised grunt from Rosto.

"Aniki's right," Kora said. "This is our home. Just go."

The door opened, then closed. There was shuffling, then a gentle hand on my arm. I opened my eyes.

"What happened?" Kora asked, her voice surprisingly gentle. She'd settled on the floor beside me. She pushed some of the blood-matted hair back from my face.

I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly self-conscious. "We were cleaning each other up. He started cleaning the cut on my--"

"Yeah, puttock, I pretty much worked that part out," she answered. "How'd you get turned into cat meat in the first place?"

I shrugged, because it didn't seem important anymore. "Doesn't matter. It was Rosto's enemies, not ours, and we doused the leader."

She held my eyes for a moment, and when she was satisfied that's all there was to the tale, she nodded. She reached for her basket. "Let's get you cleaned up, then."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'd better clean myself up." I reached for the cloth she held.

Our hands touched, but she didn't let go of the cloth. She just looked at me, eyes serious but unreadable, hanging on.

At that point, I can only guess that blood loss was making me loopy, and that I was certain I'd be all alone come morning no matter what. Nothing else can explain why I did what I did next.

I wiggled my middle finger into the space between Kora's hand and the cloth, and ran it gently along her palm. Then I did it again.

And her serious expression began to lighten, as the ghost of a smile appeared on her face.

I kept up my caresses until she brought her free hand up to my cheek, and ran very, very gentle fingertips over my skin. Even when she touched my bruises, it didn't hurt.

She was still gentle when she pressed her lips to mine, but I wasn't. I opened my mouth against hers and pushed my tongue into her mouth, and then she kissed me back. Then she was on her back, under me, and smiling. "All your bruises, I figure you better be on top."

"I might bleed on you," I said.

"That's why we're still on the floor," she answered. "Don't want to dirty the sheets."

I slid a hand up her thigh. "Wouldn't we anyway?"

She laughed that beautiful smoky laugh, and I started to unbutton her dress.

We were both completely naked, my thigh between hers and her hands on my bum, the next time we spoke. "Is this right?" she asked. "Me and Rosto, you and Rosto, then you and me?"

I tangled a hand in her long hair. "Is it what you want?"

"Yes," she replied, with no hesitation whatsoever.

I grinned. "Then it works for me."

She drew my head down to her breast, and we didn't stop again until we were both exhausted and much happier.

I must have dozed, bruises or no, because the next thing I remember is waking up under our oldest blanket. Kora was still undressed -- there's a sight I'll never tire of -- and sitting up, half under the blanket, watching me. We smiled at each other, and as quick as my bruises would allow, I sat up and kissed her.

"Did you mean what you said before?" she asked. "About Rosto?"

I shifted so she could rest her head on the undamaged side of my chest. "I like him. You like him. Why not?"

She kissed me fiercely, then got up, taking the blanket with her.

"Hey!" I called, but she was already opening the door. The sound of pigeons calling came in with the morning breeze... and Rosto, still shirtless and disheveled as he'd been the night before.

He kicked the door closed and gave me a lazy, knowing smile, then kissed Kora as her blanket fell to the floor.

I stood up and moved toward the embracing pair, ready to bodily haul them apart if needs be. But they separated, and both looked at me expectantly.

I crossed my arms in irritation, wondering again if I ought to feel self-conscious, and lifted one eyebrow. Rosto mimicked my expression.

"You've been out there all along?" I asked.

He grinned, lifting both hands to sign the message, _Kora told me to stay. You had your eyes closed, silly gixie._ Kora being an herb-woman, not a thief, I'm even the one who taught her to sign.

"Is that so?" I asked Kora, and she blushed. I met her gaze with affection. "Just for that, I get him first."

She smiled. "That's fair." She gave Rosto a shove in the back, and he stumbled toward me. I caught him.

"Do I get any say-so?" he asked plaintively.

"No," Kora and I replied, both at once.

I kissed him, if only to keep him quiet. Well, that's not the only reason, not at all. I drew the length of his body against mine, and his lips left mine and moved on to my neck. I tugged at the waist of his trousers.

Over his shoulder, I could see Kora, watching us. She was half-wrapped in the blanket again, still smiling, and I smiled back.

Rosto stepped out of his remaining clothing and moved close to me again.

I looked at the dusty wood floor, then at Rosto's cuts and bruises, and my own. "Clean sheets be damned," I muttered, taking his hand. "My room's this way."

Kora followed, and the three of us had a wondrous morning.  
.

 

Author's Notes  
Here's a mini-glossory, since Tamora Pierce likes to make up words along with making up worlds.

cove -- guy  
rusher -- thug  
looby -- idiot  
puttock -- slut   
gixie -- girl  
douse -- kill


End file.
